 | Grace is WD-40 for the Soul I look, but don't see any gift. Because I see brokenness and woundedness as impediments or disabilities, to be tidied up, overcome or prayed away. What I don't see is that in the invitation to befriend my "untidy" self, is the invitation to embrace the beauty and the wonder. I will admit that there is comfort donning my cape, morphing into an emotional life fix-it hero. And I know why. It distracts and protects me, because there's a part of me that is afraid to pause, to befriend my scattered and wounded self. To let myself be loved for being this wonderfully messy imperfect me. Grace, it turns out, is WD-40 for the soul. — from the book The Gift of Enough: A Journal for the Present Moment by Terry Hershey |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation."
— St. Colette † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The glory of a good person is the evidence of a good conscience. Have a good conscience and you will always be happy. A good conscience can bear a great deal and still remain serene in the midst of adversity, while a bad conscience is fearful and easily ruffled. Only be glad when you have done well. Evil persons are never really happy, nor do they feel peace within them; for 'there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord' (Isa. 48:22). Even though the wicked may protest that peace is theirs and that no evil shall harm them, do not believe them. For God's wrath will suddenly overtake them, and all they have done will be brought to nothing and their plans destroyed."
— Thomas á Kempis, p.76
AN EXCERPT FROM
Imitation of Christ † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live."
Romans 1:16-17 |  click to read more | | ST. FRANCIS DE LAVAL Saint Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708) was one of eight children born to one of France's most illustrious families. He learned his piety from his mother, and like his namesake desired to become a priest and missionary. This dream was realized when he was appointed by Pope Alexander VII to be the first Apostolic Vicar of New France (Canada). His territory covered all of what is now Canada and the central section of what would become the United States, an enormous frontier which he undertook as a great spiritual work. He landed in Quebec in 1659 when the population was just 500 people. He supported the missions, built a cathedral to the Immaculate Conception, taught devotion to Our Lady under this title, founded a seminary and an industrial school, and began the first Catholic school system in Canada. In all seasons he made long and perilous journeys by land and water to minister to his flock. When Quebec became a diocese he was consecrated as Canada's first bishop. He fought the sinister alcohol trade to the Indian tribes by having it outlawed within his territory and excommunicating those involved with it. He converted and baptized an Iroquois chief who then became a promoter of the Christian faith and won other converts among the local tribes. St. Francis de Laval was a man known for his great influence and holiness of life. His feast day is May 6th. | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Lectionary: 288
Reading I Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
"My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they."
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them. After they had fallen silent, James responded,
"My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written: After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again, so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things, known from of old. It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath." Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 15:9-11 Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete." | Daily Meditation: Acts 15:7-21 God . . . bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit. (Acts 15:8) The elders of the Church had gathered in Jerusalem to discuss whether Gentile converts needed to be circumcised to be saved. The matter was causing confusion and division among the people. But when Peter pointed out that the Holy Spirit had fallen upon the Gentiles just as it had the Jews, the apostles realized that this was a sign from God (Acts 15:8). God was guiding the early Church through the action of his Holy Spirit. Even today, the Holy Spirit often speaks to us through signs and circumstances. Sometimes those signs are very clear. Perhaps you are praying about whether to switch jobs, but the position you are considering is filled by someone else. Or you are sensing that it's time to move, and an apartment opens up in the exact place where you want to live. But more often, discerning where God is leading you involves a process. For example, it wasn't easy for the apostles to understand what the Holy Spirit was calling them to do regarding the Gentile Christians and circumcision. They needed to meet together to discuss the issue. As they listened to one another and prayed for guidance, they began to realize that God didn't require that the Gentiles be circumcised before he sent them the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit was the sign to them that Baptism, not circumcision, was the one necessary key for entry into God's kingdom. So if you are facing a decision or need guidance from the Holy Spirit, go ahead and look for signs, but be patient about the process as well. You may have to spend some time discussing the issue with a trusted friend or your pastor. You may have to "try on" your decision for a time. Above all, you will have to pray. As you go through these various steps, you will become more and more confident of where the Spirit is leading you. The Holy Spirit really does want to guide you. It may take time, as it did for Peter and the early Church. There may be some twists and turns along the way. But believe that one way or another, the Spirit will help you find the right path. "Come, Holy Spirit! Lead and guide me today." Psalm 96:1-3, 10
John 15:9-11 |  clickable | Christians are not free to reject or rewrite the apostolic tradition. With it we stand and fight, or we fall. The irony is that contemporary history demonstrates clearly that the more quickly and radically Christian groups adopt the tenets of modernity, the more rapid the collapse.
— George Cardinal Pell
from his book Prison Journal, Vol. II |  Listen to 2cents Podcast Going4th | | my2cents:
"On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they."
That's what we believe as Catholics, the first Christians in the world. We are saved by God's grace. As the way it always has been. Not by any other means or creations or people, saints or angels, but by God's grace. But let's learn what God's grace means! It means everything from humility and purity, to shear immense power, but if we only knew the power of humility, oh what bursts of life and joy we would all live! The kind that can get slapped around, and still love more. Only God can do that, and that is why we need Him more and more. Some people ask me as they are learning the faith, "but what if they keep doing it after I forgive them, they just keep putting me down and holding me down". What does this mean my friend? Deep inside I'm aggravated because the student, has much to learn about the truth of humility. They've apparently a long ways to go, to let go of the ego. One student seems to have caught on. He wanted to quit his job because his supervisor is always on his case, making fun of him and especially his new found Catholic religion. I told him to be patient, and to endure it, and not quit, think of your family, think of the lashings God asks us to endure. As of last week, he let me know that the means supervisor was demoted and moved away. This is what it means in the bible when it says "the meek shall inherit the earth". The Proud will divide and scatter. This is why Rome was broken apart and the Catholic Christians are there this day thousands of years later. With no sword lifted up, the evil divides itself. Do you understand the power of humility? | We pray in the Psalms: "Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations." | Our Lord speaks:
"Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love".
I spoke with a bible reading group this week about these scriptures and I brought up how one time a rich young man ran up and knelt before him Our Lord and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
So, if we keep the commandments we remain...but there's more! Our Lord just called for more! More commandments! SAY WHAT? Yes sir, yes ma'am! And it is good...for us.
You lack one thing, our Lord said, sell all you have and follow me. It was a calling. It was a special call for total surrender. That's when most of us turn away sad "sorry, I can't do that right now". And I envision how it is when people put me off for God stuff. They turn away. And I wait. I call again, and they are busy, and I wait. I'm not mad. I am patient. I am like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. I wait. I hope. I am ready. I am ready to lavish love and gifts and myself for that prodigal child of mine. I keep calling. I keep praying. Who? Everyone. Every month I send hundreds of text messages, emails, probably in the thousands now. I do it in the name of the Lord. And blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed are you if you do this. If our Lord asks something of you, will you give it?
If so. Do it now. Remain. | "I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete." Let's pray:
Lord, I want Your joy. I want my joy to be complete. I want to be complete with You. I want to complete You and I want You to complete me. And so, I pray that what makes You joyful, makes me joyful. And already, I can feel your heart melting mine, into what matters most...the Love of God the Father. In Your Name Jesus I pray. Amen. | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Psalm 31:24
4 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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